


Who Cares if One More Light Goes Out in a Sky of a Million Stars

by InSomniaMooMoo



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Destiny, F/F, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 12:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30004920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InSomniaMooMoo/pseuds/InSomniaMooMoo
Summary: Yubin never feared death, especially after being revived as a Guardian. But maybe the true fear lies not in dying, but the pain it leaves behind.A Dreamcatcher/Destiny One-Shot
Relationships: Han Dong | Handong/Lee Yubin | Dami
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	Who Cares if One More Light Goes Out in a Sky of a Million Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This was something I started writing as I was getting back into playing Destiny 2. I highly suggest you read about some basic Destiny lore on Guardians and the Darkness if you are not familiar with the game as I don't explain anything in the story. 
> 
> To add some more immersion, listen to Remembrance from the Destiny: The Taken King OST while reading.
> 
> Enjoy!

Yubin never feared death. At least, not in this life. Perhaps she had in her previous one, but that was a different world entirely. She barely remembers any of it anyways. The only recollection of her past life before her Ghost resurrected her were the flashes in her dreams on the rare nights she manages to wrangle sleep from the clutches of insomnia. 

But that past life was no longer Lee Yubin. Lee Yubin is now a Guardian, a chosen protector born from the Light. Death no longer hangs above her. Since her resurrection, she had died again two times. The first time was a Knight’s sword which had pierced through her chestpiece. The second was at the hands of a Fallen sniper. But each time, her Ghost was there to reinfuse her broken body with light, pulling her back from the clutches of the Darkness. Each time, she was brought back with a gasping breath and radiating pain, but she was alive. So Yubin no longer feared death because to her, it no longer held the permanence it once did. 

But nothing lasts forever.

_____

The Tower at night was always rather peaceful. Far below, tucked within the large walls, the lights of the Last City sparkled and twinkled like the stars. And Yubin had seen stars, flown past them in her ship, but nothing was as mesmerizing at the hope the city lights represented. So, when she was given time to herself, Yubin often found herself perched high in the rafters of the Tower , a Golden Age book in her lap. This night was one of those nights, calm and quiet save for the constant and familiar hum of ships coming and going to the hangar below. 

Not long ago, she had found an old book tucked amongst the rubble of the European Dead Zone. At first, Yubin could only look at the illustrations, the text in a long forgotten language she didn’t know. She was drawn to the color, the symbolism in the drawings depicting what they once thought space was like. But it was the prince, his tiny frame fearless in his curiosity and adventure with his green clothes and yellow scarf which captivated her. And yellow was Yubin’s favorite color. Finally, Yubin had swallowed her pride and brought the book to Yoohyeon, the other warlock immediately excited to put her language expertise to the test. 

_ The Little Prince _ . Yubin could only scoff at the simplicity of the title the first time she could read it, but it did bring a smile to her face as she flipped through the familiar pages. Except this time, she could understand the words, place context to the strange elephant inside of a snake. 

“This book again?” Yubin doesn’t even glance up at the familiar voice. Handong. She only glances up momentarily when fire red hair and orange robes pass in front of her vision. Handong glances at the pages before releasing a small chuckle and sitting beside Yubin.

For a time, they both sit in comfortable silence, Yubin once again absorbed in her book and the other alternating glances from the city to Yubin. It was something they had come to perfect, a dynamic reserved exclusively between the two warlocks which was the understanding of the importance of the absence of dialogue. However tonight, Handong is intent on breaking the silence. 

“Hey, Yubin?” Yubin hums in response, her eyes once again focused on the illustration of the fox and the Little Prince. “Have you ever wanted to quit?”

Yubin finally glances up from her book, placing her bookmark and turning her attention to the solar warlock. “Quit?”

Handong waves her hands, trying to find the correct words. “Like... stop… all of this. All of this fighting. Maybe find a place in the Last City, open a book shop in your case, and just… leave this,” Handong motions at the rifle strapped to her back, “behind?” 

Yubin glances out at the city once again. She can’t deny she hadn’t thought about it. But then she looks at the Darkness beyond the walls, the evil lurking beyond their own planet and she can’t turn a blind eye. Not when she has the power to do something about it. Maybe it was the influence of her Ghost, but Yubin feels like she has no other choice.

Yubin releases a heavy sigh. “Until the Darkness is gone and the Traveller is safe, we can’t.” 

“Always the voice of reason…” Handong responds, eyes looking out beyond the edge of the wall. Feeling Yubin’s eyes on her, Handong looks back at the void warlock. “But aren’t you tired of it?”

“I think we all are.” Yubin finally admits out loud. 

_____

_ At first, there had been five of them. Minji was their leader, the solar titan kind and Yubin thought she reminded her of the sun. Minji always made sure they were taken care of, her compassion warm like the flame in her hammers.  _

_ Bora was small, but her strength and bravery made up for it. Yubin always kept her distance when the titan’s hands began crackling in arc electricity. Nothing was louder than Bora screaming in laughter as she punched through Thralls left and right. The girl was a wild spitfire.  _

_ Siyeon was intimidating at first glance, her face usually shrouded in darkness under her hunter cloak. But the woman was a big softy, her cold demeanor a wall to hide her sensitive soul. The void hunter was a deadly sharpshooter, her shots almost never missing their mark.  _

_ And Yoohyeon was smart, a bit clumsy, but the arc warlock had spirit and was a genius in languages from the Golden Age. She and Yubin often spent their time studying together when not on missions.  _

_ When Minji had approached them with two new women by her side, Yubin was sceptical. She was not easily trusting, especially when so much was riding on their cooperation and teamwork to be flawless.  _

_ The youngest of the two had introduced herself first. Gahyeon was a void titan, small like Bora, but brave and the first to jump in front of her allies to keep them from harm with her shield or bubble. _

_ And then Handong stepped forward, gracefully elegant in her warlock robes of vibrant orange, yellows and reds. A solar warlock, one who could hold the heat of a star in her hands, Handong was blinding. The opposite of Yubin’s dark, swirling void. But there was something about her. Maybe it was the barely contained coldness in her eyes or the way she held herself with practiced poise. But Yubin was intrigued. _

_ _____ _

_ Siyeon had died.  _

_ The moment the hunter’s body had hit the dirt, Bora erupted from behind her cover with a deafening shout of anger, her fists crackling with arc energy. As fast as Siyeon had found a Knight’s sword embedded in her neck, the Knight was dead, it’s body decimated by Bora’s fist of havoc. Nothing remained but scattered chunks of its chitin armor scattered in all directions around them. _

_ Yubin could only watch as Bora ran to Siyeon’s broken body, cradling the hunter in her arms. They could all hear Bora’s shaking voice pleading, praying that Siyeon’s Ghost was working to bring her back. Yubin stood aside, watching with a curious tilt to her head. Didn’t Bora know Siyeon’s Ghost would bring her back? Siyeon was a Guardian. She couldn’t die.  _

_ A moment later, Siyeon’s body erupted with a gasping breath, her body glowing in with the Light from her Ghost. Bora released a shaky breath.  _

_ “That’s number one.” Siyeon managed to chuckle out. She was alive again, but her throat was still raw, courtesy of the Knight’s blade. It was Siyeon’s first death since her resurrection. “Damn, it still hurts.” She groaned, attempting to sit up. _

_ Minji approached, her rifle slung across her back. She placed a gentle hand on Siyeon chestplate, easing her to lie back down. “Easy there, Singnie. You took a hard hit and we don’t know yet how much your Ghost was able to heal you.” _

_ “Swear on the Traveller. Don’t do that again, Wolfie.” Bora said, reaching out to grab one of Siyeon’s hands and intertwining their fingers.  _

_ Yubin could only observe, eyes watching the titan who was still gazing towards Siyeon, although her helmet kept the warlock from seeing her eyes.  _

_ “It never gets easier.” Yubin turned to the calm voice of Handong beside her. She was holding a hand firmly over a scratch on her arm where a bullet had grazed her. There was no more blood, but better to be safe than sorry. “I know we can’t… really die, but to see your loved one go down like that? Even if we know they can come back, it’s still terrifying. There’s always that thought, that fear, that maybe they won’t be able to be brought back...” Handong said with a heavy sadness in her voice.  _

_ Yubin could only wonder what Handong’s past had been before she joined them for her to know this pain so intimately. _

_ “I don’t understand.” Yubin admitted so quietly that Handong didn't hear her. _

_____

Handong looks out at the Last City, her eyes holding this sadness and tiredness. “I’m tired of dying.” She admits, voice barely a whisper over the usual noise of the Tower. “I’m tired of hurting for a war that feels like it will never end. We never asked for this.” Handong clenches her fists in her lap. “We didn’t even have a choice.”

And they didn’t. They had died, when life was confined to one shot with no second chances. They had all lived in a time before the collapse, before this Darkness had forced a war throughout the vast expanses of the solar system and beyond. When their Ghosts had found them, they were immediately thrust onto the battlefield, destined to die over and over for the sake of a world they were no longer a part of. 

“We aren’t scared to die anymore. Our Ghosts are there to resurrect us. But we still feel the pain each and every time. Every bullet, every cut, every single hit.” Handong rubs at a non-existent wound on her chest, a phantom pain of a Hobgoblin’s sniper shot that had ended Handong’s life less than a week ago. 

“I just want to live a normal life with this second chance we’ve been given. I’m scared, one day, our Ghosts won’t be able to help us.”

Yubin reaches out, carefully placing a steady hand over Handong’s clenched one. Handong turns to look at Yubin, her deep amber eyes full of unfallen tears. Yubin feels her chest tighten at the sight. She carefully reaches up to cup Handong’s face with gentle hands. Handong’s skin is soft and warm in Yubin’s hands as she wipes the few fallen tears away. 

It’s this night that Yubin learns Handong’s lips stoke a blazing fire in Yubin, hotter and brighter than the stars.

_____

The Hive caverns deep below the Hellmouth of the Moon are endless. The air is stale and smells of mold and filth of various types. The walls move, alive with the chitinous parasites embedded in the surfaces of their nests. The Darkness is suffocating, pushing in from every angle and Yubin feels its weight pressing heavily on her chest. It feels as though she can’t take a deep enough breath, her head spinning and her muscles aching and weak.

Yubin can feel her vision swimming. The Darkness around her seems to press even further, the pressure so immense it seeps into her bones. She can feel her bruised ribs protesting each and every step.

Yubin turns to see Handong, the warlock jumping high in the air, her wings of solar fire spread wide and a flaming sword grasped in her hands. She looks beautiful, like an angel surrounded by a heavenly glow. Her light illuminates the cavern, the Hive scattering like ants as the searing flame ignites them. Yubin’s vision blurs for a moment to orange, red and yellow. 

In the center of the cavern is the creature, its skin pale and slick in the dim light. Its face has no eyes, but its mouth is large and full of serrated teeth which drip in thick saliva as it roars again. It pulls heavy chains, the links snapped from the stone walls. It’s body bears the scorching marks of Handong’s wrath, smoldering and smoking in the sickly green light of the Hive nest. But it’s not enough. It reaches out with a clawed hand and swipes Handong from the air, sending the warlock plummeting to the ground in a heap. 

Yubin wants to scream. She wants to run to Handong, but her body is broken. She can feel the deep, bleeding lacerations on her own body and the broken bones digging into her skin. Pain radiates from everywhere and Yubin feels herself slipping. Darkness seems to fill the corners of her vision as she collapses, finally succumbing to her injuries. 

She can barely make out Minji’s form across the cavern, rifle flashing as she attempts to lay bullet after bullet into the abomination. But it seems to have no effect. The titan’s helmet is cracked and there are void burns all over her armor. 

Bora suddenly drops from above, body crackling with arc energy before her fist slams into the top of the creature. It roars, loud and deafening and the walls of the cavern shudder at the sound. Even after Bora had jumped away, chest heaving in exhaustion, the creature continues to thrash about. Arc charge surges through its body, but it doesn’t care. 

It barely stumbles when Siyeon’s sniper shot tears through a layer of its thick skin. It only turns and stares Siyeon down with its eyeless gaze before releasing a barrage of void energy which sends Siyeon tumbling off of her perch at the impact. She lands, but immediately collapses as pain radiated through her leg, most definitely shattered from the impact of her fall. 

Gahyeon is faring no better. Her void bubble is surrounded as countless Thrall slam their lanky bodies against it. Yubin can see the cracks forming and the youngest flinches with each impact. She is cradling an arm to her chest, the flesh torn with crimson blood staining the stone beneath her. 

Yoohyeon is gliding above the battlefield. She’s dropping arc grenades when she can, the chain lightning rushing through and taking out Acolytes attempting to overrun her fireteam. But she’s running out of steam. Her ears are ringing and her vision is tunneling. She cannot last much longer and Yubin can see her getting lower and lower in the air.

But amongst all of the chaos, her eyes land back on Handong. The warlock isn’t moving, her body still crumpled in a heap on the stone floor where the abomination had thrown her. Her robes are coated in grey dust from the Moon covering the once-regal red, orange and yellow fabrics. 

Yubin tries to crawl closer, her weak hands finding no purchase on the loose dirt below her. She also feels the stinging, burning pain radiating throughout her body. She grits her teeth to bite back a scream as she continues to slowly pull herself closer. She drowns out the chaos around her, eyes locked on Handong’s unconscious form.

“Yubin, get back!” Minji’s voice rings out over the shrieking of the Hive and the thunderous gunfire of her teammates. Yubin glances up in time to see the abomination, its jaws wide and dripping with green-tinted saliva take a heavy step. Yubin presses herself into the ground, making herself as small as possible, hoping to hide amongst the rubble. 

But then Yubin sees it moving past her and her eyes widen as she spots its target. 

She tries to scream, to yell, anything to get the abomination’s attention. She tries to stand, to will her limbs to move but her body is too broken. The cavern erupts and Yubin can only watch.

_____

“Your Light…” Yubin freezes. The voice she hears is calm, haunted, and Yubin has a feeling her own sounds similar. “It’s been corrupted. Smothered by the Darkness.” 

Eris Morn stands behind her in the halls of the Tower, her eyes glowing their sickly green. Wisps of Darkness lick at the edges of the fabric laid over them and Yubin feels bile rise in the back of her throat at the sight. It’s all too reminiscent of the cavern deep below the Hellmouth and of the suffocating Darkness that had snuffed out their Light. 

“What do you want?” Yubin asks, her voice cold and to the point. 

Eris steps closer, taking in Yubin’s form. She looks at Yubin, a band of red and orange around her right arm standing out amongst her yellow and purple robes. A hand reaches out and Yubin flinches back before it gently rests upon her shoulder.

“You’ve lost someone, too.” 

Yubin immediately pulls away, placing space between herself and the former hunter. Eris lets her, dropping her hand to her side while the other stays cradling her orb. 

“You know nothing.” Yubin snaps back. She feels anger bubble in her chest, threatening to spill over. She clenches her fists at her side. The pain of her nails digging into her skin grounds her, keeping her from losing the little bit of patience she has left. A hand reaches up to wrap her fingers around the band, the fabric soft and comforting to the touch. 

Her mind flashes with the memories. Of Handong’s pained screams as the abomination had crushed her beneath it. Yubin remembers her desperation and her never ending grief when Handong’s Ghost failed to revive her, the Darkness too thick for the Light to seep through and save her from the clutches of death. 

Yubin remembers Handong’s final death.

“I lost my entire fireteam to the Hive.” She admits, breaking Yubin from her memories. “I lost my Ghost, my Light, and my friends.” She steps closer once again, but Yubin doesn’t make a move to step away. Instead, she glances up, listening. “I was corrupted by the Darkness in those forsaken pits. But I can feel your Light, Guardian. It’s still there.” She places a hand on Yubin’s chest which continues to rise and fall with each breath and beats with the rhythm of her heart. “Continue on, Guardian, because you still have life and you still have the Light. Do not let loss corrupt you like it has me.”

And then Eris is gone and Yubin is left alone in the halls of the Tower. 

_____

Yubin takes a deep breath before pushing the door open. The room is dark and Yubin fumbles around for the lightswitch before her fingers brush against the plastic knob. 

The room is bathed in a soft, white glow. Yubin takes in a familiar black and white comforter on the bed. It’s tossed haphazardly to the side, untouched from the morning of that mission. Yubin spots a grey blob of fur tucked within it. She pulls it out, revealing Nannan, Handong’s favorite stuffed animal, a grey cat with chubby cheeks and a bit of a grumpy expression. A gift from Yubin last Dawning. Handong never slept without it tucked beside her. 

Yubin pulls it close to her chest, inhaling the comforting lavender scent of Handong still lingering on the fur. She feels something pull at her chest, warm and painful as she feels memories wash over her; of nights spent sharing stories in this room, of nights spent at the library or perched above the city with Handong, of nights spent tangled in the sheets with roaming hands and whispered words of affection. 

It's those memories, the pain, and the anger in her soul that lead Yubin back to the Moon alone, ready to plunge deep below the surface to kill every last Hive until her Light goes out and she succumbs to the Darkness.

_____

_ I do not fear death. I have already met her and walk again in the Light. I know she and I will meet again in time. Rather, I fear what she leaves behind. Loss is like the Darkness. It corrupts. - Toland the Shattered _


End file.
